NEW CASTLE, Ky. (July 2013) – When Adriana Plum began working with Australian Shepherds a decade ago, she had no idea how much a part of her life they would become. She is now so familiar with the breed that she is able to share her knowledge by demonstrating herding and agility techniques.

Photo provided

Adriana Plum holds her
Australian Shepherd, “Gracie,”
which will perform at the
Henry County Showcase.

“We used to live in Indiana and raise cattle,” Plum said. Her and her husband, Robert, lived on a farm west of Indianapolis. Robert had raised turkeys for Perdue Farms Inc. since 1991 and would have 10,000 to 15,000 turkeys at one time.
They also raised cattle, and when the cattle kept getting out, Plum and her husband realized they needed some help. This came in the form of Australian Shepherds – dogs that are extremely good at herding cattle and sheep.
Over the years, she has become familiar enough with them to “train them myself,” she said. This is not always an easy task, but Plum referred to it as “just my hobby.”
When getting a new dog, Plum said, “I always hand-pick my dogs.” If she gets two she likes, she may breed them so that she knows what kind of dog she’ll be getting from the start. She raises, trains and competes with her dogs.
Plum said she and her husband live on a “small hobby farm outside of Eminence.” She is originally from Europe; her husband is from America. They now raise sheep all of the time and are getting ready to purchase ducks for their farm, named Turkey Run Farm.
She often enters her dogs in competitions, owning several that are agility champions. “Her dogs have won top awards,” said Maryellen Garrison, Henry County Extension Agent.
Plum and her dogs will be giving a herding and agility demonstration from 9:30-10:30 a.m. as part of this year’s 14th annual Henry County Harvest Showcase. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Henry County Fairgrounds on Hwy. 421.
The Henry County Harvest Showcase is the county’s way of celebrating its rural heritage. It is a day filled with farm-related activities and community participation. The event has many visitors from outside of the county as well, said Garrison.
The day will kick off with a live broadcast from WHAS meteorologist Reed Yadon. This will be followed at 7:30 a.m. by a breakfast of country ham and fresh eggs provided by the Henry County Chamber of Commerce.
Day-long activities include a Petting Barn and Livestock Exhibit in the Ag Arena, Kids Games and Hayrides by the FFA at the 4-H Building, and an Antique Tractor Show. Other actives include a horseshoeing demonstration by Mike Ratcliff at 10 a.m., milking demonstration, Parade of Tractors, antique tractor pull and lunch at the Farmers Market featuring locally prepared vegetables, meats and barbecue.
Entertainment will be provided by magician Tyler Habberfield, Music ‘n a Box with special guest Patrick Henry Hughes and Ye Merrie Melodious Dulcimers.
There are some new additions to this year’s lineup that include a Top Chicken “Chick-In” and a “Kiss the Pig Contest.” The latter contest, sponsored by the Rotary Club, will feature some local celebrity participants, such as the Henry County judge, the school superintendent and a state legislator.
“The Rotary will be collecting votes for who kisses the pig. Each vote costs $1 and all proceeds go to the Rotary Scholarship Program,” said Garrison. “The celeb with the most money gets to kiss the pig!”
The 14th annual Henry County Harvest Showcase will be a day filled with fun family-friendly activities and lots of farm-related learning opportunities. Plum said she will be giving her demonstrations about herding and agility in an effort to “get people involved in 4-H.” She is the 4-H dog club leader in Henry County.
Near the end of her presentation, Plum said she would like to get kids involved in the demonstration in an effort to “show them how to work as a team.”
This will be her first time to participate in the showcase, and she’s hoping her dogs will be popular and that “people would love to see it.”